thedevelopingplot

The weather continues to be frustrating and this year Spring almost seems to be on pause, but there will be some plants with hopeful bunches, bouquets and pots of bright, seasonal flowers for next weekend. These can either be delivered to your door from 17th March to 19th March or can be picked up from the Wolvercote Community Market in the White Hart Community Pub between 10.00am and midday on the 19th.

If you would like to treat someone or yourself, please email pre-orders to me by Friday evening.

thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Delivery is free for orders of £10 or over within 5 miles of Oxford. Payment is via BACS, cash or contactless.

Flower Orders: each bunch or bouquet will contain a mixture of lovely Spring flowers and foliage grown by me supplemented with flowers from other local and British growers chosen for their sustainable approach. As well as the jars and bunches, bespoke bouquets can be made too – just ask. Smaller jars of flowers will be available at the market.

Flower Prices:

Pickle Jar: £10 (at least 20 stems)

Wrapped Bouquet: £20 (at least 30 stems)

Wrapped bouquet in a vase: £25.00

There will be jam jar posies available at the Market starting at £6 each

If you would like to order a larger bouquet, they are also available if pre-ordered.

Plants at the Market: below is a selection of the plants available at the market.

Hardy Geranium Bill Wallis: one of the most cheerful and tough plants in my garden. It thrives in all sorts of conditions and gently self seeds. Its pretty purple flowers are long lasting and give a lovely cottage garden feel. Good for the front of a border or filling in gaps. £3.00 a 1 litre pot

Homesown Sweet Pea Plants: these are grown from seed saved from my favourite varieties chosen for their amazing scent and colour. The seedlings tolerate down to -5 so once they germinated, they were left outside to harden up. If the weather is particularly brutal, they might need a little protection. Prepare the soil to help water retention and plant out from start of March when weather is hospitable. Plant each pot around 8″ apart. Sweetpeas like to be well watered and prefer sun. They will need support to clamber up and regular picking to keep them flowering. They are the most generous of flowering annuals, but do need quite a lot of attention. I think it is worth it for the scent alone. £1.50 a 9cm pot of 3 seedlings.

Named Sweet Pea Varieties: Prince Edward of York, Matacuna, Albutt Blue, Piggy Sue, Jimmy Shand and Bristol Cream among others – all chosen for their wonderful scent and strong flowers. £1.50 a pot of 2 seedlings.

Hardy Geranium Phaeum: : a beautiful and striking hardy perennial which grows to around 18ins in both sun and part shade in any type of soil. Its unusual dark flowers are prolific and if you cut it down to the base after its first flowering in May/June it will flower generously again. £2.50 for 9cm pot – £5.00 for 2 litre pot

If you would like to know what’s available each week, please add your email below.

Although the bulbs are confident it is Spring as they push up into the light, the weather is determinedly wintery with snow this week. The plants are growing slowly in their pots and there will be just a few ready for this weekend’s Sofacoma Market on the 12th and a week later at Wolvercote Community Market.

Flowers:

Flower Orders: these can be made now for this weekend (12th March) and for Mothers’ Day (19th March). Each bunch or bouquet will contain a mixture of lovely Spring flowers and foliage grown by me supplemented with flowers from other local and British growers chosen for their sustainable approach. As well as the jars and bunches, bespoke bouquets can be made too – just ask. Smaller jars of flowers will be available at the market.There will only be a limited number available, particularly for Mothers’ day on the 19th March so please email me to place an order in advance if possible. Flowers are delivered free within 5 miles of Oxford with a minimum order of £10 or can be collected from the market. Payment is via BACS, cash or contactless card.

Email: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flower Prices:

Pickle pot of flowers: £10

Wrapped bouquet: £20

Bouquet in a vase: £25

There will be smaller jam jars of flowers available for £6 at the markets. If you would like more than one of these delivered, please let me know.

Plants:

There are some plants this weekend and hopefully more to follow next. These include:

Bill Wallis hardy geranium: one of the most cheerful and tough plants in my garden. It thrives in all sorts of conditions and gently self seeds. Its pretty purple flowers are long lasting and give a lovely cottage garden feel. Good for the front of a border or filling in the gaps. £3.00 a 1 litre pot

Homesown Sweetpea Mix: these are grown from seed saved from my favourite varieties chosen for their amazing scent and colour. The seedlings tolerate down to -5 so once they germinated, they were left outside to harden up. If the weather is particularly brutal, they might need a little protection. Prepare the soil to help water retention and plant out from start of March when weather is hospitable. Plant each pot around 8″ apart. Sweetpeas like to be well watered and prefer sun. They will need support to clamber up and regular picking to keep them flowering. They are the most generous of flowering annuals, but do need quite a lot of attention. I think it is worth it for the scent alone. £1.50 a 9cm pot of 3 seedlings.

Named Sweetpea Varieties: Prince Edward of York, Matacuna, Albutt Blue, Piggy Sue and Bristol among others – all chosen for their wonderful scent and strong flowers. £1.50 a pot of 2 seedlings.

Primroses in old terracotta pots: simple and beautiful to enjoy close up and a great present: starting at £5.00 a pot

Today the world outside my window is looking completely beautiful with a white frost icing the trees and the sun’s light adding extra loveliness. Everything is frozen as hard as metal, but thankfully most things in the garden will spring back into growth when the weather warms up this week.

Next Sunday, 29th January, I will be at the Wolvercote Commumity Market at the White Hart pub with a small stall. There will be a selection of Spring bulbs for sale: some, like the fragrant paperwhite narcissi and hyacinths are best kept inside to make you smile and enjoy their colour and heady scent close up, while others such as the iris reticulata, snowdrops, dwarf narcissi and crocus can be enjoyed inside or out. All these bulbs (apart from the paperwhites) will come back and can be placed in their pots /planted outside once they have flowered to brighten up late Winter/early Spring again next year.

This is likely to be the only market for the plant stall until March and some of the bulbs have a little growing to do before flowering. For me that’s part of the pleasure of having them and you can speed them up by bringing them in to the warmth or leave them outside to develop in their own time. The delicate looking iris reticulata, crocus and dwarf narcissi are extremely tough and will survive the very worst of the weather outside while offering much needed food for early pollinators.

Here’s a sample of what will be on the stall this Sunday:

Spring Bulbs in Pots:

Scented indoor paper white Narcissus, Ziva and Inbal; scented hyacinths; iris reticulata, Alida, Purple Hill and George; dwarf narcissi, Artic Bells and Golden Bells and crocus Prins Claus and others too.

The bulbs come planted in peatfree compost in a range of different sized pots including old terracotta, metal and plastic. Each pot is individually priced from £1.50 for individual bulbs in plastic pots to £12.00 for a collection of bulbs in a pot.

All pots can be returned to me for reuse if not needed.

There will also be cheering violas for sale. Grown from home gathered seed in small pots last Autumn they have kept going through all weathers. Deep frost makes their heads droop, but they immediately recover their spring in the thaw. They are ideal for outdoor containers and window boxes and will give beautiful splashes of colour for months. In shades of purple and blues so far. 7cm pot: £1

Over the next few days, I will be making the last of the sustainable fresh wreaths. Each is handmade and individual and all are decorated with local homegrown flowers and garden foliage as well as lightly foraged ingredients. Made on a moss base, they will last for weeks.

If you would like to order a fresh wreath, please contact me by 11th December at the latest as there are a limited number available. Delivery is free within 5 miles of Oxford and payment can be made in cash or by BACS.

Contact me at: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Fresh wreaths on 10 inch frames are £15 each

Fresh wreaths on 12 inch frames are £20 each

Fresh wreaths on 14 inch frames are £25

There is still time to order a lovely, local handmade wreath decorated with homegrown flowers, foliage and lightly foraged ingredients. Fresh wreaths are made on a moss base and will last for weeks if kept damp while dried everlasting wreaths will last for years if kept dry. If you would like to make your own fresh wreath, moss bases and a starter kit are available too. Wreaths can be ordered for delivery up to 11th December.

Each wreath is different and if you would like to choose one in person, there will be a variety to choose from at Sofacoma Market, just off Lake St in Oxford this Sunday, 4th December.

There will also be fragrant paperwhite narcissus, hyacinths and iris reticulata in pots which make great gifts (for yourself or other people).

Pre-orders for pick up at the market or for free delivery within 6 miles of Oxford can be made by contacting me at: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Payment can be made in cash or by BACS.

Fresh Wreaths

Fresh wreaths on 12 inch frames are £20 each

Fresh wreaths on 10 inch frames are £15 each

Fresh wreaths on 14 inch frames are £25

If you are interested in making your own fresh wreath, you can buy a starter kit for £10

The starter kit contains: a mossed wreath base, a mix of foliage to get you started and some mossing pins. Instructions for how to make a wreath from scratch, starting from the wire base, are on the website. https://thedevelopingplot.com/how-to-make-a-mossed-wreath-base/

Everlasting Wreaths

There will be a small selection of dried wreaths at Sofacoma Market this Sunday. These are handmade by me and the flowers and foliage were grown on my plot.

Over the next few weeks (until they run out), you can order a local handmade wreath decorated with homegrown flowers, foliage and lightly foraged ingredients. Fresh wreaths are made on a moss base and will last for weeks if kept damp while dried everlasting wreaths will last for years if kept dry. If you would like to make your own, moss bases and a starter kit are available too.

Each wreath is different and if you would like to choose one in person, there will be a variety to choose from at Sofacoma Market, just off Lake St in Oxford this Sunday, 27th November and for the following two weeks.

Pre-orders for pick up at the market or for free delivery within 6 miles of Oxford can be made by contacting me at: thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Fresh wreaths on 12 inch frames are £20 each

Fresh wreaths on 10 inch frames are £15 each

Fresh wreaths on 14 inch frames are £25

If you are interested in making your own wreath, you can buy a starter kit for £10

The starter kit contains: a mossed wreath base, a mix of foliage to get you started and some mossing pins. Instructions for how to make a wreath from scratch, starting from the wire base, are on the website. https://thedevelopingplot.com/how-to-make-a-mossed-wreath-base/

Next Sunday, the Homesown flower stall will be back at Sofacoma Market, off Lake St, with a range of lovely, local eco-friendly flowers grown on Oxford’s doorstep. If you would like to reserve flowers to be picked up at the market or would like free delivery within a mile or two of Oxford this Saturday & Sunday, please email me at the address below:

thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

The dahlias are the showstoppers this week with a few second flush roses joining in. Sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos and delicate grasses are also part of the mix. As well as whites, pinks and purples, there are also burnt orange and yellow dahlias giving an Autumnal tone.

Prices:

Jam Jar of flowers: £6.50

Pickle Jar of flowers: £10.00

Flowers in a vase: £12.50 – £15

Bouquets of flowers start at £15.00

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Yesterday was the last market until September and for the next two weeks there will be no deliveries as we will be on holiday. Flowers will be available again from the second week of August when dahlias and lots of other home grown lovelies will be ready to pick.

No markets this week, but if you would like to order bouquets, vases or jars of garden-gathered flowers they can be delivered for free within 5 miles of Oxford. All flowers are grown using an organic approach and are cottage garden favourites chosen for their loveliness and their attractiveness to pollinating insects. Roses are still going strong with sweetpeas, achillea, larkspur and more as beautiful supporting acts. See below for more detail on prices.

If you would like to order please email me(ideally with 24 hours notice): thedevelopingplot@gmail.com

Flowers

Prices:

A jam jar of flowers: £7.50

A pickle jar of flowers: £11.00

Bouquets start at £15 and can be delivered wrapped or in a vase

Buckets of flowers to arrange yourself: £20 for at least 30 stems; £25 for at least 40 stems and £35 for at least 60 stems.

Plants: there is a lull in the plants available for sale now, but there will be perennials and biennials for sale in early Autumn – the ideal time to plant them for large, healthy plants next year.

Please sign up below if you would like to receive updates on what’s available: